Statement by H.E.Cui Tiankai, Vice Foreign Minister of the People's Republic of China At the UN Security Council Open Debate On a Comprehensive Approach to Counter-Terrorism

2013/01/15

Madam President,

China expresses appreciation to Pakistan for proposing this open debate on counter-terrorism. Thank you for traveling to New York to chair this debate．I also thank Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for the briefing．

Pakistan is at the forefront of the international struggle against terrorism．The tremendous efforts and enormous sacrifices it has made in this regard are recognized by the whole world. On January 10,several blasts took place in the city of Quetta in the Pakistani province of Balochistan, causing heavy casualties．China strongly condemns these attacks．We wish to express our deep condolences to the victims and sincere sympathy to the wounded and the families of the victims．China opposes terrorism in all its forms,and will continue to support the government and people of Pakistan in their efforts to safeguard national stability and combat terrorism．

The calling of this meeting is a full testament to Pakistan's responsible attitude toward the issue of counter-terrorism, which China highly appreciates．I am confident that our meeting today will help strengthen international consensus and contribute to international cooperation on counter-terrorism．

In the wake of the 11 September incident, the Security Council swiftly adopted Resolution 1373,which led to the establishment of the Counter-Terrorism Committee．This displayed the international community's firm resolve to combat terrorism．In the ensuing years, some progress has been made,and the threat of terrorism is on the whole declining．On the other hand, the situation today remains quite serious．Terrorist activities are rampant in some parts of the world, and the turbulence in some regions provides space for terrorist infiltration．We have seen new developments concerning terrorist organizations:the average age of terrorist operatives is getting younger, the methods employed are becoming more varied, and some organizations are joining together to form terrorist networks．In a word, the breeding ground of terrorism is far from being removed, and international counter-terrorism cooperation remains a long and uphill battle．

Madam President,

Today's open debate offers a valuable opportunity to explore effective and comprehensive ways to combat terrorism. I wish to set out the following positions of my government on international counter-terrorism cooperation:

First, we need to fully respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the countries concerned. In combating terrorism,it is important to adhere to the purposes and principles of the LJN Charter, respect the independence,sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries,fully listen to their views and opinions, and carry out international cooperation on the basis of equality and mutual benefit. Without global support, the fight against terrorism cannot be sustained. Therefore, the international community should provide more assistance to those developing countries who suffer from a lack of capacity while respecting the wishes of these countries．

Second, we need to leverage the role of the UN and its Security Council as the main channel of cooperation．Terrorism is a threat to global peace and security. China supports the important role of the UN and its Security Council in coordinating national efforts and shaping a global response．it is important for countries to strictly abide by the relevant Security Council resolutions and fully implement the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. We welcome the establishment of the UN Counter-Terrorism Center, and we hope that there will be better coordination and greater synergy among the various counter-terrorism agencies of the UN．

Third, we need to adopt a comprehensive approach to address the root cause as well as the symptoms of this scourge．Terrorism is the result of a complex array of political,economic and social factors:it cannot be resolved by military means alone．Counter-terrorism efforts must be combined with economic growth and proper settlement of regional conflict. There should also be more dialogues and exchanges between different civilizations, religions and ethnic groups so as to promote mutual understanding, tolerance and harmonious coexistence．A comprehensive approach involving political, economic and diplomatic means should be employed, if terrorism is to be rooted out altogether.

Fourth, we need to reject double standards．Terrorism is the enemy of all mankind．All terrorist activities, regardless of who commits them under what pretext and no matter where and when they take place,should be condemned and fought back. There should not be different standards for different attacks．We should not bring ideology into the fight against terrorism or link it to any specific country, government, nationality and religion．On this point, the international community should build more consensus and speak in one voice．

Madam President,

China has been suffering from terrorism．For years, the "Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement',and associated groups have carried out numerous violent terrorist attacks against China, causing heavy casualties and economic losses in my country. Conclusive evidence abounds．Such attacks are grave threats not only to China's national security but also to peace and stability of our neighbourhood．The international community should fight them with unity of purpose and action．

China has all along taken an active part in international exchanges and counter-terrorism cooperation．My government has signed 12 relevant international conventions within the UN framework and faithfully implemented Security Council resolutions 1267 and 1373．Pursuant to paragraph 6 of UNSCR 1373,China has submitted seven reports to the Security Council's Counter-Terrorism Committee,which documented China's implementation of the resolution and latest progress in its counter-terrorism endeavor. China has also taken an active part in international cooperation against terrorism financing．We have signed cooperation memoranda with 20 foreign financial intelligence agencies, and joined the Financial Action Task Force,the Eurasian Group on Combating Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism and the Asia-Pacific Group on Money Laundering. We have also provided, as our ability permits,material assistance and training to support the counter-terrorism efforts of other developing countries．

Madam President,

The world has made considerable progress in fighting terrorism．However, there is still a long way to go．The international community should make unfailing efforts and take a comprehensive approach to wipe out terrorist threats．China pledges its continued effort to this end．